Equipment for handling drums



Aug. 24, 1965 JEAN-BAPTISTE DAVEZE 3, 0

EQUIPMENT FOR HANDLING DRUMS Filed Feb. 16, 1962 5 SheetsSheet 1 57 58 53 55 I Mm 54 55 Allg- 1965 JEAN-BAPTISTE DAVEZE 3,202,301

EQUIPMENT FOR HANDLING DRUMS Filed Feb. 16, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2;

Fly. 2

Aug. 24, 1965 JEAN-BAPTISTE DAVEZE ,2

EQUIPMENT FOR HANDLING DRUMS Filed Feb. 16, 1962 s Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS 22am jayhlv ()M a 8 N V 1. t 11111111 1 W 1 0 t 4 6 T .H n 6 1 K 1 v2 r T T A 2 T s l Q w L I. I III TIILHL nlx||| Q urhw Am FU L n ufl l l l H Hi l A J l F United States Patent 3 1 (Iiairn. (c1. 214-1 The invention relates to an apparatus for handling drums, especially heavy drums revolving in a cage structure. The invention is more particularly concerned with drums, heated or not, which are used as rotating furnaces for example intended to elaborate steel (steel converters).

Such drums or rotating furnaces, which will be designated hereinafter as drums, are generally large and heavy and are required to be shut down periodically, especially for overhauling and repairing the inner lining.

It has already been proposed to provide at least two drums for one given assembly, so that the latter is able to work in a continuous way, whereby the drums to be repaired are removed from the fixed assembly and replaced by a repaired drum. The handling means at disposal in the plant may generally be employed for such removal. In the case however when the weight of the drums is specially high, and would for instance necessitate heavy duty equipment such as a travelling crane of more than 100 tons, not available in the workshop or in the plant, special installations become necessary which are too costly, so that it is more advantageous to provide anew a plurality of interchangeable drums.

Another proposed way consists in dismounting the drums out of the cage of the assembly. To that effect, a cross member of the fixed cage is provided pivotally movable and is elevated through a travelling crane after a truck elevator has been disposed beneath the drum to be repaired. After having been loaded with the drum, the truck is slightly lowered and driven away to the overhauling workshop, where the drum is relined and the same truck is immediately loaded with another, repaired, drum. The converse operation permits thus of replacing the worn drum in the cage, where the cross member is reinstalled in its working position.

The present invention has for its first object a more advantageous apparatus for handling even very heavy drums, by eliminating the use of a movable cross member in the cage and offers simultaneously the advantage of the interchangeability of the drums. The apparatus enables the use of a handling method which comprises the steps of providing a working position of the drum suitably higher than the conventional one, of lowering the drum from said working position to such a level that the upright drum can pass under the lowest members of the cage, and of displacing the drum to the desired place.

According to a main feature of the invention, the lowering of the drum is realized by supporting it on elements of the cage which are normally provided to merely receive the operating drum, so that the frame has not to support too heavy load.

Another object of the invention is to provide an equipment to put said method in practice, which only requires the use of moderate strength without too great modifications of the usual apparatus. According to the invention, an equipment to operate a drum detachably secured to and between a pair of annular means rotatable about an horizontal axis comprises, to mount and dismount said drum, a transverse member displaceable through a travelling support and having arcuate bearing end surfaces cradlingly engageable with upper segments of said annular means to rest thereon when the drum is to be dismounted, and hoist means on said transverse member to raise the drum and to lower it to a position below the annular means. 7

The transverse member is constituted by a number of girders, sufficient to support the drum; each. end surface (forming a cradle) of the transverse member is arcuate with a radius as exactly as possible equal to the radius of the annular means which entrain the drum in rotation. The bearing parts of said end surfaces of the transverse member are as great as possible to provide the best repartition of the vertical loads exerted on the annular means.

Each arcuate surface at one end of the transverse member and the corresponding annular means are locked together by means which advantageously comprises retaining pins projecting from the cradling surfaces into simultaneous engagement between pairs of adjacent usual driver pins provided on the annular means to operate the drum; as known, said driver pins are engaged by any suitable driving device. Preferably the central-or median-pin of each lateral cradle is cut as a symmetric gear tooth; the side pins are bevelled, respectively left and right hand.

It is to be noted that the method and equipment according to the invention provide for an easy interchanging of the drums, by a very slight elevating of the usual working level without otherwise modifying the construction of the plant. A conventional travelling crane is sufficient to displace the transverse member, and to locate it as necessary successively above different assemblies equipped with drums.

The various objects and features of the invention are fully described in the following specification, by way of illustration but not of limitation and with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view in elevation of a revolving drum assembly and the drum-handling means of the invention positioned thereon in readiness for a drumdismounting operation;

FIG. 2 shows the same assembly in the same position as seen on a vertical plane at right angles to that of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of wheeled truck; and.

FIG. 4 is a plan View of a sling frame.

Referring to the drawings, a revolving drum unit according to the invention comprises a cage structure generally designated 1 and which is only partly shown since its construction is generally conventional. The cage includes a pair of large-diameter revolving ring members or parts 2 (annular means) disposed in parallel vertical planes and in coaxially aligned relation, each ring member 2 being revolubly supported on a pair of roller members 2 engaging the periphery of the ring member at opposite sides from its lo-wennost point. The aligned rollers 2' of the respective pairs are rotated simultaneously by motors 50 as shown in FIG. 1.

Supported between the two spaced ring members 2 and rigidly but detaohably connectable thereto through conventional sli-da ble latch bars 79 is a drum 4 adapted to contain materials or articles for instance steel to be processed. The "latch bars are slidable in the rings 2 and are adapted to be inserted into and withdrawn from holes 70a in members 71 attached to the drum 4. For rotating the ring members and therewith the drum each ring mem- :ber 2 is provided on its outwardly facing side periphery #3 with a circular array of drive spokes or pins 3 adapted to be engaged with drive gearing conventionally driven.

In accordance with the invention the drum 4 is fitted with hoist anchoring means here shown as two pairs of staples 51 one pair on each side of the drum, adapted to cooperate as shown with the hooks 6 of a drum handling assembly now to be described.

The drum handling assembly of the invention comprises in this embodiment a rigid horizontal sling frame made up of three parallel spaced .girder sections 7 7 and 7 rigidly interconnected at both ends by cross members 8'. Platform parts 52 on the frame 7 provide, in connection with the parts 7 7 7 and 8, for mounting winch equipment to be referred to hereinafter. The resulting frame 7 is suspended through a conventional suspension hook assembly generally designated 8 from a travelling crane of any suitable type, e.g. a travelling bridge crane generally designated 53 in FIGURE 1. The crane 53 comprises a bridge 54 supported by wheeled trucks 55 to run on rails 56, and wheeled carriag 57 mounted on the bridge for traversing movement. The carriage 57 is equipped with hoisting mechanism diagrammatically indicated at 58 from which the suspension hook assembly 8 depends. Rigidly secured to each of the end cross-members 8' and depending from it is a cradling member or part 9, which is formed with a lower arcuate bearing surface of equal curvature radius to that of each of the ring members 2 so as to be snugly engageable with a peripheral segment at the upper part of each ring member 2 as shown in FIG. 2. Projecting from the outer face of each cradle member 9 are three spaced, downwardly extending retainer fingers or pins 11, 1'2, 13, ach having its lower end shaped for engagement between a different pair of adjacent drive pins 3 of the related ring member 2. As clearly shown in FIG. 2, the central retainer finger 11 has a symmetrically tapered lower end 11 engageable between a topmost pair 3 3 of the drive pins 3, while the side retainer fingers 12 and 13 are each formed with an end portion 12 13 having one vertical side and one inclined side for engagement between the respective pairs of drive pins 3' 3' and 3" 3" The simultaneous engagement of the three fingers 11, 12, 13 with the drive pins 3 can only be effected when the cradle member 9 is horizontal. As shown in FIGURE 2., the retainer fingers 11, 12 and 13 constitute male locking members, and each cooperating pair of pins 3 -3 3 -3' and 3 3" constitutes a female locking member.

Mounted on the platform or frame 7 are four winches 14, 15, 16 and 17, from which the pulley-blocks 14 15 16 and 17 depend. Each pulley block is provided with a terminal hook 6, previously referred to, engageable with the anchor staples of the drum 4. The line 18 designates an electric conductor cable delivering power to the winch motors.

As will be evident from FIG. 2, the drum cage structure described is arranged to be supported at a convenient elevation above the floor level or surface of the shop and served by an elevated flooring or platform atlerna-tively flooring 5 may be regarded as the basic floor level of the shop and the lower floor level or surface 19 as a pit or the like. In either case the lower level 19 is fitted out with tracks upon which a truck 20 of suitable construction is adapted to ride, able to support a drum 4 thereon (as indicated in chain lines in the drawings). Th truck 20 comprises a body 59 formed in its lower surface with wheel wells 60 which accommodate flanged wheels 61 journalled on axles 62 to run on tracks 63. The truck body 59 is formed with a depression providing a seat for supporting the drum 4. The seat is defined by a bottom wall 66, vertical upper walls 64, and inclined intermediate walls 65, all circular as viewed from above.

The operation of the equipment will now be described. It is to be understood that in normal operation of the revolving drum unit the handling assembly composed of the platform 7 with the cradle members 9 and the attendant hoisting equipment including the winches and pulleyblocks are all removed by means of the travelling crane 53 from which said assembly is suspended, to a position clear of the revolving drum structure. Also, the truck 20 is rolled out of the way from under said structure. In these circumstances the revolving drum system is operated in the usual manner by rotation of the ring members 2 to rotate the drum 4 with the treated material therein bodily about the common axis of ring members 2.

When desired to dismount the drum 4 for overhaul and replacement, the above-mentioned handling assembly including frame 7 and attendant parts is brought into position overlying the drum unit, by means of the travelling crane 53 as already described, and a truck 20 is positioned upon the bottom tracks 63 to a position in readiness for receiving the dismounted drum. The suspension means 8 is operated from the travelling crane to ease the frame 7 down until the arcuate bearing surfaces of the end cradling members 9 have been fitted over the upper segments of the rotatable ring members 2 and the retainer fingers 11, 12, .13 are engaged between respectiv pairs of adjacent drive pins 3 so as to lock with the ring members 2. It will be noted that owing to the arrangement and shape of the retainer fingers described engagement of all three fingers of each pair between the drive pins 3 will positively ensure that the frame or platform 7 is horizontal. The winches 14, 15, 16 and 17 are then operated separately so as to engage the respective hook connections 6 thereof with the staples provided on the drum 4. The hoisting platform or support 7 is now firmly and steadily supported in horizontal position atop the ring members 2 which in turn are locked with the platform. After suitable and approximately equal tension has been applied to the pulley block connections by separate actuation of the four winches, latch bars 70 connecting th drum 4 with the ring members 2, are withdrawn from the holes 70a to disengage them from the members 71 on the drum 4 so that the drum 4 is then supported solely from the frame 7 through the winch pulley-blocks. The winches may then be operated jointly so as to lower the drum 4 suspended therefrom and ease it down into the waiting truck 20, suitably constructed to receive and support the drum in the lowered, upright position shown in broken line outline in FIGURES 1 and 2.

The tackle hooks 6 are now disengaged from the an- .chor staples on the dismounted drum, and the truck 20 is driven away to the overhaul shop, where the defective drum 4 is unloaded and a new drum in working order may be loaded in its stead. The loaded truck 20 is rolled back to the position illustrated and the operations described above are performed in reverse order to mount the new drum in position. After the drum has been latched in position to the ring members 2, and the tackle hooks 6 disengaged therefrom, the hoisting assembly including the platform 7 is moved out of the way by means of the travelling crane, either to some waiting position or if need be it is brought directly over another revolving drum assembly to be serviced in a similar manner to that described.

It will be evident that various modifications may be made in the structural details shown and described without departing from the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

Apparatus for handling a container, said apparatus comprising a cage on which the container is disengageably supported; means mounting said cage for rotation about a horizontal axis; a plurality of circumferentially arranged drive pins on said cage; a first support means positioned above said cage and having a part shaped to fit over and engage a part of said cage of corresponding shape; means for moving said first support means to bring said part thereof into engagement with said part of said cage with said first support means resting on said cage; means projecting from said first support means and being engageable between and with adjacent drive pins for ensuring 5 that said first support means will be horizontal when resting on said cage; second support means for supporting said container on said cage through the intermediary of said first support means; and means for lowering said con- .tainer with respect to said first support means and hence with respect to said cage.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,874,904 8/ 32 Crafts. 1,990,538 2/35 Ftildes 214-3842 2,129,698 9/ 38 Luehrs.

Stafford 214-340 X Seder-strom 214-396 Best 214340 X Hofmeister 266-36 X Buchring 214-394 Hofmeister 266-36 Tan-tlinger 21415 Matheisel 214-394 X Harlander 212-125 X GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

MORRIS TEMIN, HUGO O. SOHULZ, Examiners. 

